We are excited and proud to announce that Esther Bonney, Founder and Executive Director of Nurture Natives, lifetime member of Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay, and Honorary Director of Wild Ones (2026-2029), has been recognized nationally as one of six 2026 Brower Youth Award winners for promoting mental health through native landscapes. And internationally, Esther is featured as a changemaker in BBC Earth’s recently launched “Fixing the Planet” digital series, demonstrating how local grassroots action can support a global movement.
Brower Youth Award
On October 6, Earth Island Institute’s New Leaders Initiative announced this year’s recipients of the prestigious Brower Youth Awards for Environmental Leadership, including our amazing Esther Bonney.
BERKELEY, Calif., Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Earth Island Institute’s New Leaders Initiative announced this year’s recipients of the prestigious Brower Youth Awards for Environmental Leadership today: Esther Bonney, Kaitlyn Culbert, Garrett Ordonez, Maritza Sanchez, Ojas Sanghi, and Renee Zhao.
The annual Brower Youth Awards recognizes six outstanding and emerging leaders for their achievements to transform the environmental movement in North America and beyond. Now in its 27th year, the Brower Youth Awards is the leading environmental youth award in the country.
“We are proud to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of the recipients of this year’s Brower Youth Awards,” said Sumona Majumdar, chief executive officer of Earth Island Institute. “From passing America’s most comprehensive school climate action resolution to developing microbial fuel cells from recycled materials that convert wastewater into electricity, their impressive accomplishments are a testament to the power and potential of youth in creating solutions for a healthy planet.”
The six 2026 Brower Youth Award winners represent accomplishments across the environmental movement. Prize winners will be honored at the 27th annual Brower Youth Awards Ceremony in Berkeley, California on Monday, October 19.
Check out the press release in The BayNet, our local newsletter: 3 Million Seeds, 420 Acres And National Honor For La Plata Teen Esther Bonney. Click here for more BayNet articles featuring Nurture Natives.
Fixing the Planet
On October 2, BBC Earth launched their new digital series, Fixing the Planet, featuring Esther in several short films. With a wider launch on BBC.com on October 3, this digital series addresses “a climate story that rarely gets told: Real progress is being made around the world. … [The series celebrates] the inspirational people whose actions are making a measurable dent in the climate crisis. From tackling food waste and electrifying school buses to rewilding your backyard, Fixing the Planet spotlights the everyday choices and cutting-edge innovations that can help us preserve our planet for generations to come.” – Fixing the Planet
FIRST UP: THE OPPORTUNITY
According to BBC Earth Fixing the Planet, “Humanity has around 25 years to go from 74 gigatons of carbon emissions a year to net zero. These are the key choices that could help us get there.”
In the two short films released to date on BBC Earth Fixing the Planet, Esther is featured in several cameo appearances.
Five Simple Ways to Live a More Sustainable Life – “What we eat, wear, drive and do at home can all shape our carbon footprint. Discover five choices you can incorporate into everyday life to help us move towards a greener, healthier and more affordable future.” – BBC Earth
Esther’s cameos show her planting a native shrub at Mystical Gardens and distributing seedlings at NatureFest 2025: 0:14, 0:20, 3:35
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We love seeing Wild Ones voices helping bring native landscapes to a wider audience!
This BBC Earth video explores the unexpected benefits of rewilding our gardens—from supporting biodiversity and healthier ecosystems to improving our own well-being.
We’re especially excited to see Esther Bonney, Wild Ones Honorary Director and lifetime member of the Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay Chapter, featured in the video.
It’s a great reminder of the difference we can make by giving nature more space right outside our doors. – Wild Ones
Net Zero: Is It Even Possible? – “What we eat, wear, drive and do at home can all shape our carbon footprint. Discover five choices you can incorporate into everyday life to help us move towards a greener, healthier and more affordable future.” – BBC Earth.
Click here to watch the short film. Esther planting at Mystical Gardens and our 2025 NatureFest event appear several times: 0:07, 1:11, 1:24, 3:19, 3:49, 4:24, 4:30
NEXT UP: THE CHANGEMAKERS
Launched on October 5, Esther and her work with Nurture Natives is featured along with the work of Sarah Shuttleworth, Plantlife Specialist Botanical Advisor, in the short film The Unexpected Benefits of Rewilding Your Garden.
According to BBC Earth, “Your garden could be doing more for the planet than you realise. By giving nature more space to do its own thing, we can help boost biodiversity, create healthier ecosystems and improve our own wellbeing too.”
In addition to Esther’s segments in the garden and at NatureFest 2025, look closely and you may recognize Mystical Gardens (shown in drone footage at 0:43, 01:30) and additional scenes from NatureFest 2025 (starting at 6:45). Credited at the end is additional footage by Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay.
BEHIND THE SCENES
In May 2025, Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay was honored to host a small crew from the BBC Natural History Unit and Wild Ones National staff to explore how our chapter has mentored Esther in her mission to empower young people through native biodiversity restoration. Over the course of three days, site visits were conducted and videos of Esther’s work were shot at several locations in Charles County, Maryland, by the BBC crew, with additional video footage collected by Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay and photos taken by Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay and Wild Ones.
We introduced the teams from BBC and WON to Bona Terra, invited them to NatureFest, and to top it off, welcomed them to the home gardens of our chapter President and Vice President, Marlene and Bill Smith, to film the segment on The Unexpected Benefits of Rewilding Your Garden.
May 30, 2025 Site visits to the College of Southern Maryland La Plata Campus, Bona Terra, and Mystical Gardens at NikHaven with the BBC and WON teams
May 31, 2025 NatureFest 2025 at the College of Southern Maryland La Plata Campus
June 1, 2025 Planting at Mystical Gardens
We would like to extend our sincere appreciation to Wild Ones for providing us with the opportunity to work with the BBC Natural History Unit to bring the story of Esther’s work with Nurture Natives to the global community through the Fixing the Planet series.
Wild Ones Chesapeake Bay is deeply rooted in native plants and cultivating partnerships, while striving to educate, advocate, and collaborate to connect people and native plants for a healthy planet. Our vision is native plants and natural landscapes thriving in every community. Check out our Events page, Google calendar, Facebook, and/or Instagram for our upcoming events. And don’t forget to subscribe to our new YouTube channel and email subscriber list!
